by Tony Fiyalko

(Editor's Note: This article was written in the mid 1980.)

The brewing industry has long been one of America's most prolific advertisers and subsequently, collecting "breweriana" has become a popular and widespread hobby in recent years. Cans, bottles, labels, coasters, serving trays, signs and other materials used by the beer-makers to promote their products are actively sought by collectors motivated by nostalgia and a sense of history. Another widely used medium of beer advertising was, of course, the match book. Largely overlooked by breweriana collectors, beer matchcovers have long been a favorite category for phillumenists. The bold and colorful graphics of beer advertising are neatly and compactly preserved on matchcovers. As more and more beer enthusiasts discover beer matchcovers, they find not only an additional avenue for their hobby, but also a whole new world in matchcover collecting.

Beer matchcovers have come in all sizes and descriptions, from Midgets to Giant Features, from DQ's to Matchoramas. Many have crossover interest for collectors of other categories. Sports collectors know of beer matchcovers with team playing schedules and plugs for local teams sponsored by breweries ("Duke Beer brings you the Indians on WERE Radio").

Beer matchcovers appear in World's Fair collections; Ballantine, Schlitz, Pabst, Schaefer, Rheingold and Heineken all sponsored pavilions at the 1939 New York World's Fair, and all issued matchcovers. Even collectors of dogs would find matchcovers for Hanley's Ale appealing, with its famous bulldog trademark. Many breweries issued 20-stick matchcovers with ads for their beers on the backs only, allowing space for taverns, restaurants, roadhouses, hotels and beverage distributors to advertise on the front. Collectors of small towns and county seats seek many of these matchcovers. But mostly, those seeking memorabilia from long gone, but not quite forgotten breweries prize old beer matchcovers. Today, a few corporate giants, with a handful of smaller, dominate the brewing industry stouthearted independents maintaining a loyal following. There was a time, however, when the USA could boast hundreds of beer companies from coast to coast, catering to regional tastes. I have a theory (as yet unsubstantiated) that each and every American brewery since repeal of Prohibition issued at least one matchcover at one time or another. I'm having a ball putting that theory to the test.

Before someone asks: No, I do not know when the first beer matchcover was issued. I have, as yet, no concrete evidence that any were produced prior to passage of the Volstead Act in 1919. There are several examples of matchcovers issued by breweries during Prohibition, when many companies survived by turning out "near beer" (or "brew"), soft drinks and dairy products. There exist matchcovers for Schlitz and Hamm soda brands and Esslinger of Philadelphia proclaimed their "lager" (their quotes) to be "the 'kick' within the law".

With Repeal in 1933, the tap was opened to quench the nation's thirst and many breweries took advantage of what was probably the least expensive and most far-reaching form of advertising; the ubiquitous match book. The mid-thirties saw the introduction of the beer can and lots of matchcovers proudly displayed this new packaging phenomenon. There was a certain amount of backlash from the bottle manufacturers, denouncing the "fad." Match books were issued reminding consumers that "Scientific tests prove that beer tastes better in glass bottles."

Sadly, with the sharp decline in the popularity of breweries over the years, the number of new beer matchcovers has likewise dwindled. Even though the past decade has seen a rise in the opening of "micro" or "boutique" breweries, very few have seen fit to advertise on match books. Occasionally, one of the beer conglomerates, like Anheuser-Busch, will produce a new 30-stick match book or an American Ace box, but collectors generally have to search high and low for new issues. I've recently noticed several beer brands now advertised on disposable butane lighters. A sign of the times.

Regardless, there are still those of us who will continue to dig for these front-striking pieces of breweriana, as if they were artifacts from some ancient civilization, confident, all the while, that they are out there, somewhere. I may not yet have found a match matchcover from the Kips Bay Brewery of New York City, or the Tube City Brewing Co. of McKeesport, Pa., but I'm happy to say I do have matchcovers from the George Kunz Co., of LaCrosse, Wisconsin, and the Sabinas Brewery of San Antonio, Texas, as well as a lot of other rare gems. Talk about a "kick" within the Law.